The present invention relates to a guide sleeve for an electric cable emerging from a tube, such as a linear drive seat belt tightener.
The lateral guiding of an electric cable that is installed in the longitudinal direction of a tube and inserted in the axial direction creates problems during assembly. These problems are increased if several electric cables are to be guided laterally out of the inside of the tube simultaneously.
In a device known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,997 for the drive of a seat belt tightener the ignition cable, by means of which the propellant is electrically ignited for the driving a piston in a cylinder, is placed in an essentially axial direction through the guide path, along which the piston is axially moved in the inside of the tube during its drive, and is guided outwardly from an opening at the tube end. As a result, during assembly, an easy guiding of the ignition cable connected with the ignitable propellant out of the inside of the tube is achieved, in particular during the insertion into the inside of the guide tube of the piston comprising the ignitable propellant. Due to the guiding out of the ignition cable at the tube end, however, in certain configurations of the piston cylinder of the seat belt tightener in the vehicle, difficulties can be encountered, which requires a significantly longer electric cable.
There is provided in accordance with the present invention a guide sleeve for electric cable emerging from a tube comprising a deflector insertable into the tube through a lateral opening in a casing of the tube obliquely to a longitudinal axis of the tube, via which deflector an electric cable is guided through said opening.